Draft-night wait easier for ND's Eifert than for Te'o

Irish tight end taken No. 21 overall; linebacker slides out of 1st round

April 26, 2013|By Brian Hamilton, Chicago Tribune reporter

The wait wasn't excessively long for Tyler Eifert, considering he elected to delay the whole NFL process entirely for one more year at Notre Dame. And the wait wasn't excessively excruciating, gauging by the joyous roar at his home when his name was called Thursday night.

The former Irish tight end was selected No. 21 overall by the Bengals in the NFL draft, sliding perhaps slightly out of a mid-first round window that some viewed as justifiable.

"We all do our own mock drafts in our head — who needs the position we play," Eifert said on a conference call with Cincinnati media. "I was a little bit surprised, but (Bengals tight ends) coach (Jonathan) Hayes has worked me out at the combine and pro day and we've had a good relationship."

The time Eifert bided likely was nothing next to what Manti Te'o endured.

Te'o, the Heisman Trophy finalist with the gilded prospects until a tumultuous offseason, was bypassed entirely in the first round. Clubs that were considered to have the need and a spot for a middle linebacker, such as the Bears and Vikings, went in startlingly different directions.

Eifert, meanwhile, provides a 6-foot-6, 251-pound outlet for quarterback Andy Dalton, a tight end with impeccable ball skills and the speed (4.68 40-yard dash time) to gain separation and become an immediate impact playmaker.

"He has proven he can make contested plays because the lanes aren't always that big," Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden told reporters in Cincinnati. "He's a great weapon to have. I'm sure Andy is happy. The more weapons you have the better."

Eifert, the most prolific tight end in Notre Dame history with 140 career catches and 1,840 career yards, was the first Irish tight end selected in the first round since Irv Smith went 20th overall in 1993.

"He was faced with a difficult decision following his junior season whether or not to return to school," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "Tyler returned for his senior season, and that decision was rewarded today."

Te'o's wait was possibly more predictable, given his offseason — but also more relevantly because of the general lack of strictly inside linebackers who get selected early in any draft.

Still, it was startling to see the teams move along beyond the man with 437 career tackles, and particularly painful when the Vikings traded back into the first round for a third pick in the 20s … and then selected wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson instead of Te'o.